Fraternal VS Identical

Fraternal VS Identical

           Twins are created when a fertilized egg splits in half (Twins, 2007). That split can create identical twins, but fraternal twins are created when two eggs are fertilized separately (Twins, 2007). Scientifically, identical twins are called monozygotic twins, and fraternal twins are called dizygotic twins (Twins, 2007). Twin births typically happen when there are already a set or sets of twins within a family. There is a higher risk for sets of twins or multiples period, when both the mother and father have twins in their families (Twins, 2007). No matter what types of twins are in any family, research has shown that identical and fraternal twins can happen regardless of how many identical or fraternal twins are within a family (Twins, 2007).

            Fraternal and identical twins can look similar in the womb (Twins, 2007). Matter of fact, you probably would never be able to guess if your twins were identical or fraternal until they were born, unless you get tests done (Twins, 2007). The placenta and membranes can be examined and show whether or not the eggs share a common chorion, placenta or amnion (Twins, 2007). If that is the case, then you have identical twins (Twins, 2007). There is one slight problem that science is not perfect, and therefore the tests could be wrong (Twins, 2007). At times, identical twins can split into two embryos and develop their own placenta and membranes, just like fraternal twins (Twins, 2007). There’s really no exact science to know whether or not your twins will come out looking the same, or if they have little to no similarities at all (Twins, 2007).

            My mother has said that when she first found out we were twins; she thought she was going to have twin girls. She was very excited to have the chance to have a boy and a girl at the same time. On my mother’s side of the family, my grandfather had a twin sister. On my father’s side of the family, one of my uncle’s had a twin brother. We have fraternal and identical twins on both sides of the family, which supports the information in the article given. Any type of twin can be born to a family with a history of twins, even fraternal twins with no similarities at all (Twins, 2007). While we were in the womb, Matt and I were very different. Matt was very calm, barely kicked at all. On the other hand, I was always moving especially when there was music on. The two of us were never on the same page living in the womb. In fact, during delivery my mother said that it seemed as if Matthew wanted to stay in her stomach and I wanted to come out as quickly as I could. Now that we are twenty five years older, we have several similarities and share similar viewpoints. I cherish every day I have with Matthew.

Article Cited:

Twins: World of genetics (2007). Twins world of genetics. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from the Gale Science In Context database.